Perdido 03

Monday, July 28, 2014

Cuomo Says Moreland Commission Was "A Phenomenal Success"

Throughout the back-and-forth with Buffalo and limited Albany media,
Cuomo stuck to his guns and didn’t waver from his stance that the
commission was a success and that there wasn’t interference from his
office; rather, conversations and dialogue were just that.

“The Moreland Commission was a phenomenal success,” Cuomo said. “It
generated all sorts of interest in the behavior of the Legislature. It
brought all sorts of cases that have actually come to fruition. And it
was, I believe the stimulus to get the ethics reform passed that we got
passed. And the ethics reform bill is great.”

...

The governor said the panel accomplished what it was set out to do: help devise new stronger ethics laws.

Cuomo said the commission took guidance from many people, held hearings and spoke to the Senate, Assembly and Executive Chamber.

“No one ever said they shouldn’t be talking to people or get advice
or consultation from people. They should be independent,” he said. “And
the co-chair today says, ‘I was 100 percent independent. I made the
decisions. Did I talk to people? Or course I talked to people. It would
be unintelligent not to talk to people. But I made all the decisions.’”

Earlier Monday morning, commission Co-Chair William Fitzpatrick, the Onondaga County district attorney, sent out a three-page statement defending the commission, his role in the commission and the governor’s handling of the commission.

Cuomo said the best example of independence was Fitzpatrick deciding
to send a subpoena the second floor did not want the commission to send.
The New York Timesdetailed to
a subpoena sent to an media-buying firm that initially was withdrawn at
the behest of the governor’s office but later went out anyway.

Various Twitter commentators pointed out problems with Cuomo's statements today:

Cuomo pitches Moreland as a go-between in negotiation of ethics package. If so, this was a part of its mandate that was never announced.
— Capitol Confidential (@TUCapCon) July 28, 2014